Crash
by Phoenix-Flower92
Summary: Just as life seemed to be settling down for the Martins, their world plunges into a nasty nosedive. Only this time, things may really never be the same again.
1. Crash

**A Perfect World that Came Crashing Down**

* * *

Carey Martin blew her nose for the thousandth time and dabbed at her red, puffy eyes with a handkerchief, sore from all of her tears. She couldn't believe how fast her world had come crashing down on her. Life had reached its highest point when she and her two sons lived at the Tipton Hotel, where she happily sang, her life content. But now it seemed that it had taken a dramatic nose-dive to its lowest point. So low that she knew she'd never be able to climb back up to her old life. Nothing would ever be the same again.

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as the steaming-hot food was placed in front of her. She knew she couldn't consume it. There was no way that she'd be able to keep it down. Just the smell had already begun to work on her, giving her a lightheaded sensation and nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She knew how badly that she needed the energy. She was weak and tired, and her stomach growled loudly, but somehow, none of that could bring her to even come close to taking a bite. It was one of those crazy moments where her stomach begged for food, and yet she did not feel hungry.

"Carey, please, you need to eat," the woman before her pleaded desperately.

Carey hopelessly shook her head, "N-No, I can't."

New tears leaked from her eyes, racing down her cheeks and neck, splashing onto her dark-blue shirt. The woman across from her stood up and bent down in front of her hysterical daughter, embracing her in a tight, loving hug.

Carey cried even harder into her mother's shoulders, letting everything out. It was the first time she'd stepped outside of hospital grounds in what felt like months, and handling it was harder to tackle than she thought. What if something happened while she was away? She'd never forgive herself.

At that moment, the waitress returned to their table with intentions to ask how everything tasted. But seeing that it was obviously an intimate moment, she quietly walked away to give the two some time. "Oh, mom…" Carey wailed. "What am I going to do?"

"Shh…" the woman cooed softly, rubbing Carey's back. "You're going to be strong, Carey. If he thinks you've given up, he might give up too…"

Carey shook her head again. She had tried to be strong, but it was too difficult. How could she be going through this? Why the Martins?

She knew that life wasn't supposed to be fair, but this was incredibly unfair. Her twins were supposed to grow up together, be each other's best man's, have kids, get great jobs. Together. But now…now it was all ruined. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Her son was too young.

She couldn't handle it—it was all too much. Every time she thought it would be okay and that she could handle it, she fell apart. She fell apart no matter what, whether she was trying to be strong or not. She hadn't stopped crying in she didn't know how long. She hadn't changed clothes in days. She hadn't lived in the Tipton for months.


	2. Zack's Problem

_Disclaimer: I **don't** own The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Devil's Arithmetic, or Flowers for Algernon._

_A/N: Okay, finally another chapter! I'm really sorry it took so long, I've been in school, and unfortunately, school has to come first. :(- Plus…I actually never intended to post this story, as I didn't think it would do well. I wrote it and began to type the first chapter, but I'm slow—I'm taking Keyboarding right now so I can become faster. So my sister finished it for me. I told her to type it, not post…but, of course, instead, she posted it as well. Imagine my surprise when I received REVIEWS for it!_

_And I thank my reviewers, my readers as well: ) Virtual cookies of your flavor choice to all!_

**Two Years and three months earlier**

Zack Martin casually walked into the room he shared with his twin at their suite in the Tipton Hotel. He stopped dead in his tracks, however, at the sight he saw before him. Sitting on one of the beds was Cody, with silent, warm tears streaming like a flood from his eyes down his freckled face.

But it wasn't the crying that caught him off-guard. No, Cody cried plenty in front of Zack. Sure, now that he was becoming older, he cried less, but not less enough for it to be an odd sight.

Between the two of them, Cody had always been the sensitive one. He wasn't afraid or ashamed to let his emotions out and make them known. He spoke up when he was upset about something.

So it wasn't the crying—it was the fact that his twin's eyes were fixed in a book he was holding. And that meant he was crying _over a book!_

"Cody! You're crying over a book!" Zack spat in an 'it's official, you're no longer my twin, much less my brother' way.

Cody glanced up pitifully, wiping his tears on the back of his hand, "It's so sad!" he cried out.

"So—why do you keep reading?" Zack questioned suspiciously, crossing his arms.

Didn't his younger brother have enough common sense to stop reading a book if it upset him to the point of crying! He shook his head. This was one of those moments where smart people sure were dumb.

"B-because it's our homework! Remember? We're supposed to finish the last three chapters of Tuesdays With Morrie," he whined.

"Oh," Zack replied as Cody flashed the cover of the book at him so he could read the title, "Yeah…about that…hey, wait a minute! Why are you upset? We knew from the beginning that the old man was a goner!"

"So?" Cody shot back defensively, "That doesn't make it any less sad at the end! Losing someone is hard, Zack. Just because you know from the start that he's dying doesn't make it any easier when the time comes to finally let go. And this book made me feel like I really knew Morrie!"

"But you didn't!" Zack pointed out, "And dude—like I said, if you knew he was dying—why let him grow on you!"

"Because I couldn't help it! This book is so well-written, you _can't help_ but feel like you knew him!" he said, a few more tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Oh, _please!"_ Zack crossed his arms.

Crying was weak enough—but over a book! That had to be one of the weakest, stupidest reasons _ever _to cry!

"Could you stop blubbering long enough to give me the details on how it ends? You know I don't do reading homework…"

"You don't do ANY homework whatsoever!" Cody shrieked, "And no, I refuse to help you this time! You can read it yourself! It's not like you'll cry or be fazed by it in any way. You don't care that it's a _true story_, after all. Besides, you know how it ends—like you said, Morrie dies,"

"It's a true story!" Zack exclaimed as if it were news to him, "huh…" he shrugged as an outraged Cody forcefully launched a pillow his way but missed.

"Zack!" he growled, "Have you not been listening to Mrs. Floana _read _the book out-loud _in_ _class_?"

"Actually, no" Zack snickered, a smile creeping across his face at Cody's priceless reaction, "I was playing video games in my head, mentally beating my top scores. And more recently, I've been daydreaming about Olivia…"he trailed off at the mention of his latest crush.

"You are just like Mitch was at the beginning!" Cody hissed in a disgusted manner.

Zack knew it must be an insult, but he hadn't read the book, so he had no idea who Mitch was. The only reason he even knew about Morrie dying was because the teacher drilled it into their brains the day they began the book. _'This won't be a happy book' _she had said_, 'He is going to die'._

"So absorbed in your own life!" Cody continued sourly. He moaned, " I just wish we'd quit reading such depressing books. What's wrong with happy? I mean, first Devil's Arithmetic, then Flowers for Algernon, and now Tuesdays with Morrie. Mrs. Floana must be morbid or something…"

Zack rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever. Now, about me not reading the book. Can you write my book report for me on it?"

"NO!" Cody snapped immediately, "I'm not telling you the ending and I'm certainly not writing your book report!"

"But you love book reports!" Zack reasoned, "Don't you think it'd be fun to analyze it two ways? Once for you and once for me?"

"No!" Cody repeated harshly.

"Okay," Zack sighed, "I'll just copy off of you…"

"No, Zack!" Cody nearly jumped up in anger, "Then I'd get in trouble for allowing you to cheat!"

"Hey!" Zack cried out, "How do you know that _I_ wouldn't be the one accused of allowing you to cheat?"

Cody glared at his twin, crossing his arms.

"Okay…yeah, your right…"Zack agreed.

He sighed. He just wouldn't do the book report. Or maybe he could sneak a peek at Cody's when he wasn't in the room, and skim it, just for highlights. Then he'd know enough to earn at least a C, which was enough to satisfy him.

He smirked at how different he was from Cody. Cody would never stand for a C, but Zack didn't really care. Zack could get a D or an F and be able to shrug it off within seconds, whereas Cody…Cody would blow up if his eyes ever saw a paper or project of his marked less than a B.

Their personality differences had brought them apart over the last few years. Slowly, bit-by-bit, they did their own thing. Until after awhile, the only time they talked was before bed, usually a 'good-night' or 'see you in the morning', and times like this, where it wasn't a good conversation. They were both annoying each other. Zack at the fact that his brother was a wimp, Cody at the fact that his brother was insensitive and uncaring.

Rolling his eyes as the younger of the two returned to reading and weeping, Zack trudged out of the room and within seconds found himself in the kitchen stuffing his face. It seemed like he was always eating…and eating…and eating…he shuddered. There was nothing wrong with always eating was there? He was a growing boy, after all, right? He was _also_ the heavier twin…

His appetite suddenly vanished and he dropped the Pringles in his hands. At the same instant, Carey returned from her singing gig.

"Zack, no snacks before dinner!" she called from the closet where she stood fixing her coat onto a hanger in a position where it wouldn't slide off and into the floor.

"I wasn't snacking," Zack replied dully, "I was thinking about snacking but then I remembered your rule. Plus, I'm not hungry anyway,"

He shrugged indifferently as he made his way to the television and plopped onto the couch. Carey's forehead creased in confusion at his odd behavior. Since when did he remember her rules? And since when did he _follow _them? But, shrugging, she decided to let it slide.

"So, how was your day?" she questioned lightly, changing the subject for him.

Maybe he was just mad that she'd said something to him about snacking when lately she'd been allowing him to? She waited with anticipation for almost a full minute before he answered her.

"Boring," he replied dryly with a sigh, staring ahead at the blank screen before him.

_If only the remote were within reach…_

Carey relaxed a little. That was her Zack for sure. Describing school with only two syllables.

Zack gritted his teeth as he listened to himself. His pathetic '_if only the remote_ _were within reach'_ was almost as weak as Cody, crying because a man he never even knew died. Maybe if he'd stop eating like such pig whenever he and Cody had a disagreement or he was upset, or simply twenty-four-seven, he'd have enough energy to actually get up and retrieve it himself.

_NO!_ He told himself, _No, it's not that you don't have the energy—you're just_ _lazy._ _That's all._

_You're lazy because you don't have the energy_ another voice interjected.

Zack's heart thumped in fear. Where were all these voices suddenly coming from? And why now? He'd never felt fat before. Why was it all of a sudden an issue? He honestly didn't understand it. He shuddered again. Perhaps he could shake it off.

"Zack, honey?" his mom pulled him from his panicked thoughts.

Zack's face had flushed pale, his expression a worried and distracted one. Carey's worry for her son returned, stronger and more recognizable than before.

"Huh?" Zack squeaked in a not-all-there voice.

Carey placed a hand on her hip, "Zack, you wanna tell me what's wrong?"

Zack gulped. Why did she have to get in on all of his problems! It wasn't as if he'd honestly tell her about the voices arguing with him, insisting that he was fat. She'd send him to a psychiatrist or something. He wasn't crazy, and he refused to do that.

And it wasn't like he could tell her that he felt fat anyway, excluding the voices from it. She'd be all 'Oh, honey, there's not an ounce of fat on you' and 'where is this coming from?' But if she knew anything, paid any attention at all, then she'd know that he was twenty whole pounds heavier than Cody. And with the way he kept eating, a month down the road he would be another twenty pounds, making him forty pounds heavier….his head spun as an image of him and Cody standing together in a picture flashed before him. Cody in great shape from working out, and balancing his diet, but Zack so much heavier, rolls of fat across his stomach, his face doughy with a double chin. He almost gagged. If he kept this up, he would no longer deserve the better-looking twin title.

Little did he know, a month down the road, he wouldn't be focused on weight. A month down the road, he _would_ be a little skinnier—but not because he'd gone on a crash diet. He wouldn't need to. His entire _world _would go crash for him.

_A/N: Okay…even I didn't see the Zack issue coming. But that's okay—it doesn't mess up my plans. In fact, it works perfectly with my plans. Only I know the future of this story! MUHAHAHAHA: ) So review okay? That's part of this story and it's future!_


	3. Depression

_A/N: I don't own The Suite Life or Tuesdays with Morrie._

Carey still stood by Zack, who was still oddly pale, only now he appeared nauseous on top of that.

"Zack?" she pressed gently, "Sweetie, I'm here. Do you need to talk? Are you okay?" she asked as she stole the unoccupied cushion next to her oldest and obviously upset son.

Zack shook his head, scooting in the direction away from his mom, making certain to look everywhere but directly at her.

"Just…bored…"he lied.

Somehow Carey saw through him, but knowing and understanding that this was all she'd get out of him, she accepted it. If he really needed to talk, she'd hear about it sometime. If not her, he would surely notify in Cody. And if it were anything serious, Cody would come straight to her. She hoped, anyway.

"Well, you could do your homework for a change. I hear homework scares away boredom," she suggested.

If she was going to accept his answer, she might as well play along with him, let him believe that not only had she accepted it, she'd bought it.

She must have been a decent actress because by the look on Zack's face, he completely believed that she'd bought his sorry excuse for acting odd. Amazed that he'd gotten away with being 'Just bored', and her comment within itself, Zack glared at her. A deep, serious, 'I can't believe you just said that' glare.

"No," he said flatly, "Homework invented the word boredom."

He crossed his arms, wishing she'd change the subject again. What made her think he wanted to discuss school and homework? But moreover, above all things, he wished those voices would quit worrying him with weight. _I'm healthy_ he assured himself _I'm the perfect weight for my age._

_No, you're not!_ The second voice argued, _all you ever do is eat, and it shows!_ _The pounds are really_ _beginning to pile on_! _No wonder Maddie's_ _not attracted_ _to you!_

Zack's breath hitched. He was drawing the line right there, at the mention of the gorgeous, intelligent, caring candy girl.

Or was he? There was truth in the voices. Maddie Fitzpatrick _wasn't _attracted to him in the least bit. Sure, she thought he was cute and adorable, but that didn't count. She didn't think of him as a date—a handsome, or even hot date. No, it wasn't there for her.

But it couldn't be because he was fat, could it? Maddie wasn't shallow like London. Was she? He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to block out every thought now.

_Don't give in…it's not worth it…it's all lies…Maddie's not shallow…you're not overweight…Maddie secretly likes you…_

It took every ounce of energy he had within him to block the thoughts. And still, every now and then, they seeped through his wall, trespassing into his thoughts, creeping into his brain…

The entire process turned out to be utterly exhausting. It wasn't worth it since it didn't completely work. He sighed, giving up. What was the use? It was like having surgery on a birthmark that would most likely return. After the surgery, you'd be tired and worn out. Exhausted. Then, the mark would show up later on down the road.

Just like the birthmark, the voices would return. And just like the surgery, after Zack gave up on blocking the thoughts, he was tired, his temples beginning to throb in pain, warning him to never try blocking his thoughts again.

He'd been captured, trapped into a lose-lose situation. If he kept the voices coming, taunting him and lowering his self-esteem, he lost. Yet, if he blocked the voices, they still intruded, desperate, stopping at not one obstacle thrown at them, and he lost. Again. What was wrong with that picture? Did he have a third option? If he did, it hadn't been discovered yet, and his temples ached too much and his brain cells were too worn out and tired for him to uncover it.

That evening as Carey set the table for dinner. Zack still felt depressed and moody. He hoped that his Mom wouldn't bother him, because one more 'what's wrong, Zack? You can tell me!' and he'd explode.

Actually, he was hoping she wouldn't speak he him _at all_. He didn't feel social able in the least. He wasn't sure if he could conduct any conversation, no matter what the subject was. No such luck on either of his hopes.

"Zack, dinner's ready!" Carey called, "Turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, creamy corn, and green beans! Doesn't that sound good?"

Zack's mouth immediately opened to form the word 'yes', but he pushed it away. His stomach growled in an odd way, but he knew not to listen. Perhaps the taunting voices would disappear once he'd skipped a few meals. Deep within, he knew it wasn't healthy. But losing weight had to begin somewhere, and eating certainly _wasn't_ a start. Besides, what were a few meals? Some religious groups could fast for days, and they were perfectly healthy. In a way, he was fasting, right? As long as you excluded the religious reason for his motive.

"Zack!" Carey called again, " I said it's dinner time. Didn't you hear me?"

Despite Zack's desperate yearning for food, despite his urge to jump up and stuff his face like he always did, he declined. For the sake of his body. For the sake of being the better-looking twin.

"I—I'm not hungry, remember?" he hesitantly reminded her.

He could feel her gaze upon him even with his back facing her.

"Sweetie, are you sure you aren't sick?" Worry was evident and strong with every word.

A pang of guilt shot into the center of his heart. He didn't _want _to worry her—that was the whole reason he _hadn't _told her. To avoid worry and concern. But even if she was worried, it couldn't be as bad as if she knew the reason for his behavior. Plus, if she _did _know, she'd force food down his throat. He'd be doomed to a life of obesity.

Mind racing, he strained to un-cover a reason to not be hungry, in order to decrease her concern. It would need to deal with school, a class he _didn't _share with Cody…

"We had a party today," he announced, "In Math. With food. Y-you see, it was our teacher's birthday. So we got to celebrate it. She baked cupcakes and brownies and there was pizza. I pigged out—I'm sorry."

He knew it was lame, but hey—she'd bought his 'I'm bored' excuse, hadn't she?

"Oh," Carey answered lightly, "Well, I suppose that makes sense,"

She was about to sit down and eat when it occurred to her that she hadn't seen Cody all afternoon. She'd been so preoccupied with concern over Zack that the younger twin hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Hey, Zack—where's Cody?" she questioned.

It was odd that she hadn't seen him _at all_. Why did it take her this long to notice his absence? Was she a bad mother because of it?

"Cody?" Zack snorted with a disgusting eye-roll, "You don't wanna know."

"Why not? I'm a mother, and I think that I _do_ want to know."

Zack's attitude was beginning to not only worry her, but frustrate her as well. Being 'bored' and 'not hungry' gave him no right to tell her she didn't want to knew where her other son was.

Zack sensed her aggravation, " Fine, fine, fine…" he sighed, followed by another snort, "He's in his room all depressed,"

"Depressed?" Carey didn't know whether to laugh or worry again.

Zack had already lied twice in a row. How could she be sure that he wasn't lying this time, too? She hoped he was joking, because she had enough worry on her plate already. She'd be overwhelmed if both of her boys weren't acting like themselves.

"Don't be silly," she said, deciding to the road of not believing him, "Cody's too young to be depressed,"

"Too young or not, he's depressed all right," Zack replied, "Over some _stupid _book,"

"Does this _stupid_ book have a title?" Carey challenged, confident that she'd busted him right in the act of lying.

He shrugged, "Something with Tuesday in the title… I dunno! One of the characters is Mitch and there's another dude with an 'M' name, too. Can't remember…it wasn't common. Mark? Milford? Uhh…"

Carey set her brain into search mode. She knew this. Unfortunately, that impudent cat had bitten her tongue. She wouldn't rest until she remembered.

"Tuesday…Tuesday…Tuesday…"she whispered quietly to herself, as if saying one of the title words would help.

"Not Tuesday,"Zack corrected, "Tuesdays. It's plural,"

_Tuesdays…Mitch…Tuesdays_…it clicked!

_"Tuesdays With Morrie_ by Mitch Albom?" she guessed, sure that it was correct and proud of herself for figuring it out.

Zack nodded indifferently.

'Oh, that _is _a sad book…I'd better go check on Cody…"

She rushed over to the door covered in signs and posters, turning the gold knob quicker than she normally would. Before she pushed it open, Zack warned her.

"Careful, Mom. It's a nasty sight. He's bleeding his eyes out over it. You may not come out the same woman again,"

"Zack!" she scowled, wasting no more time.

But what she saw wasn't what she'd expected after what Zack had led her to believe. Cody wasn't crying. Well, not any more. She could see tear-tracks, and a little bit of red around his eyes, but the tears had, indeed, ceased.

And so had his energy. He laid across his bed, completely out of it, his book report still in front of him. His chin rested on the loose-leaf sheet of paper, wrinkled from the pressure, and his pencil hadn't even dropped. It was still firmly wrapped around his fingers.

"Poor kid," Carey whispered softly,

Crying often led to tiredness, so she didn't give it too much thought, silently turning back and closing the door behind her.


	4. Tummy tigers

Disclaimer: I didn't own The Suite Life or Tuesdays with Morrie in the previous chapters. Nothing's changed. I still own nothing…

**A/N: Okay…. this chapter is a little longer than the other ones. It needed to be, since this story is progressing so, ever so slowly…**

If Zack had been irritable before his crazy crash diet, then there wasn't a word to describe his surly mood the following morning. His level of irritability had increased at least three times, making the previous level seem nice.

Not only did his intestines growl at him, but the lack of food had also created stomach pains. Intense, undeniable stomach pains that brought along nauseas ness and light-headedness as part of the ride. It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours and already he found himself yearning for food, allowing the temptations to draw him in…

He surprised himself by staying committed, however, by tricking his Mom into thinking he'd eaten breakfast. He hovered the toast inches from his mouth, holding his breath as to not barf from the smell, until she turned away from him. When she headed for the bathroom, he convinced Cody, who wasn't aware of the incident the night before, that he wasn't hungry. Then he slipped off, down to the lobby and out the revolving doors to catch the bus.

What seemed even more surprising was the fact that it was _Cody_ who kept lagging behind. Cody, who ate _his _breakfast instead of Zack eating Cody's. Cody, who had gotten a head start in dreamland the night before.

Wasn't a good night's rest and breakfast supposed to give you energy? Not suck it from you? Zack didn't know what was up with his younger brother, but he didn't bother to ask. _He_ was the one who hadn't eaten the past two meals. _He_ was the one who felt lighter than a feather, almost certain that he was moments away from unconsciousness. _He _was the one with issues. Wasn't he?

Of course he was. And if Cody was too preoccupied with a _useless _book to see them, then why should Zack care about _his _issues with decreased energy, probably a result from becoming all riled up about Morrie's death? It only made sense to ignore Cody if Cody was ignoring _him._ Right? _Of course_, he assured himself, _of course._

As the school bus rounded the corner and shuddered to a halt in front of the boys, Zack felt his weak start already catching up with him, already working on his body. For the first time, he dreaded walking up the three tall steps of the bus. He didn't feel enough energy within himself to do it. At the moment, he could have sworn that the mere task of lifting a pencil would be enough to push him over the edge, enough to drain that last ounce of energy stored inside his muscles, _enough_ to make him drop dead.

_It hasn't even been that long!_ The voices snarled inside his head, _you are such a wimp! Pick up the pace, fatso!_

Zack moaned, although he'd become used to the thoughts trespassing into his head. And once again, they were correct. It really _hadn't _been that long yet. Sure, it'd been the longest amount of time that _he'd_ ever been through without a single drop of food—but still, it hadn't been so long that he should be feeling weak and complaining. He was sure that people who fasted didn't act the way that he was at the moment.

He shook his head. The first step was to pull himself together. If he wanted to lose this weight, he would have to stop complaining. Whining and crying didn't look good on him—that much he knew from observing Cody cry and get upset. It was for babies, not teenagers. And especially not for boys.

"Zack!" Cody yanked Zack out of his contemplation, "C'mon—Mrs. Havin's waiting!"

It took Zack several moments to realize what his brother was talking about. Mrs. Havin…he knew her…who was she again? Oh! Bus driver! Right, of course…for school.

With a groan, Zack dragged his hungry, weak, and exhausted body up the suddenly steep steps and glanced down the never-ending, black aisle in search of an unoccupied seat. The closest one happened to be located halfway down the bus. Naturally.

He would have rolled his eyes if he'd slept well. And had a few of those scrumptious-looking, steaming-hot, chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs with extra cheese that Mom had prepared for breakfast. With pulp-free, claiming to be one-hundred-percent pure orange juice…his stomach growled, drool threatening to leak from his mouth in a reputation-ruining way.

Stomach still crying out for food, he trudged moodily to the empty seat and slid over to the end of it, leaning heavily on the window. Had he not brought breakfast to mind, his stomach might have stayed quiet and content. Now suddenly, it viciously growled, over and over, louder and louder.

He imagined a tiny tiger inside his stomach, at the foot of his esophagus, with an empty food bowl labeled Hungry that it circled impatiently. It continued to growl, revealing sharp, white fangs. Its main source of food was what Zack ate, and when Zack didn't eat, neither did the tiger.

The picture lightened Zack's mood a bit as he watched the tiger in his brain. The image was erasable, something his mom had planted inside his mind from a certain story she told him as a child...

" Mommy, why do tummy's growl?" four-year old Zack questioned one night as Carey began tucking him in.

His stomach warned him with a rumble, bringing up the query. Cody found the question intriguing as well, because the youngest boy hopped onto Zack's bed, ready to be all-ears.

"Yes, mommy, why?" he inquired, eyes round with wonder.

Carey giggled, "Well," she began, "If you must know…" she paused, obviously stumped and preparing to make up an answer on the spot. "You have a tiny baby tiger—a starving tiger—inside your tummy--"

"_A tiger?!"_ Cody piped up in disbelief, "But, mommy--"

"Hey, hey, little mister!" Carey smiled playfully, "No questions until the end!"

"'kay," he nodded.

Carey smiled, wondering what she'd gotten herself into. She hadn't intended on something so far-fetched. "As I was saying," she continued, " All the starving, undeveloped tigers in the world are automatically transported to live in our bodies, because they can't survive on their own. That's why it's so important to eat all of your meals and get in all the food groups,"

She figured this might as well double as another attempt at getting the boys to eat their vegetables. The younger they began eating healthy, the better. "Especially carrots and green beans. Baby tigers love those. Remember, not only are they for your health, but they are for the tiger as well. He needs nourishment too, after all. You don't want him to starve, he's like a little puppy. If you can't take care of a little tiger, can you take care of a puppy?"

It was a rhetorical question, which was good because neither of them answered it. They decided to ask a different question.

"How does he get the food?" Zack wondered, "I mean, we don't know he's there unless he growls. So how can we be sure he gets the food?"

"The food you eat leads straight down to him," Carey explained, now beginning to applaud her imagination. She should have considered taking creative writing classes. Maybe she could have been an English major…

"To a food bowl?" Cody asked eagerly.

"Yeah, exactly,"

"Does he have a name?"

"If you want him to," Carey shrugged.

"Mine's for Timmy, then!" he merrily exclaimed, tossing his arms up joyfully in the air.

"Timmy?!" Zack laughed.

"Timmy the Tiger!" Cody announced proudly.

"You didn't even believe Timmy existed in the first place!" Zack pointed out.

"Well now I do believe," he replied, pouting at the dagger-eyes that his brother shot at him.

Zack crossed his arms and Carey turned to him, "Zack, honey, are you going to name your tiger?" she asked gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Naw," he sighed, "I guess right now his name is Hungry."

"Well then he's pacing his bowl right now in anticipation. We'd better go feed him!" Carey said, "What do you think Hungry's in the mood for?"

"Cheezits!" he cried out eagerly.

"Okay, then you go ahead to the kitchen with Daddy, and Mommy will be there soon," she told him.

The little blonde nodded, jumping up and bouncing out of the room.

"What about you?" she turned to Cody, "Is Timmy hungry?"

"No," Cody replied, "Timmy's tired. He's ready for a nap,"

Carey nodded, kissing her youngest son's forehead and lifting him into her arms, twirling him around in the air to hear him giggle with glee. She glided him over the other bed, inches away from Zack's, laying him down on the sheets. The boys would have shared a bed if it weren't for the fact that Zack was still a regular a bed-wetter. Cody only had accidents every now and then.

"Night-night, mommy!"

"Night, baby," she smiled, kissing his forehead again, "I love you."

"I love you, too,"

She stood up and drifted into the kitchen to discover Zack already chowing down on baby goldfish snacks. She allowed him only one of the pre-measured bags, which held one serving.

After the bag disappeared and she found him rubbing his eyes, he said gently, "Finished?"

"The tiger's name is Full now," he informed her quietly.

Across the room, Kurt raised an eyebrow. Carey mouthed, 'later' to him as Zack followed her to his bed.

Tucking him under the covers, Zack yawned.

"So did I answer your question for you good enough?" she asked, brushing his blonde hair out of his face.

"There's really a tiger?"

"Sure is!" she answered, without warning plunging in to tickle his stomach.

Zack burst out in giggles, "Aaah! Tickle attack!!" he shrieked between breaths, "Help! Stop!"

"Alright. That's enough," she said as soon as he pleaded to quit, "We wouldn't wanna wake your brother now would we?" Her eyes traveled to the deeply asleep form of Cody.

"Yeah, I guess not," he agreed.

"Well, goodnight, sweetie. I love you,"

"Night-night. Love you too," young Zack answered, closing his heavy eyelids as his Mother planted a loving kiss on his forehead…

"_ZACK_! Wake up! We're here!"

Zack jolted awake.

"Huh?" he mumbled groggily in confusion.

It took him a moment to drink in his surroundings, to focus in on everything around him. Cody stood over him, his face contorted in concern.

"You fell asleep," Cody said dully, obviously wishing he'd been the one asleep.

"Yeah…guess so…" he'd been so lost in his childhood memory that he couldn't even recall nodding off.

For some reason, his Mom's tummy tiger story weighed heavily on his mind. He considered the fact that it was because he was slowly and steadily killing his tiger. Even though it was just a silly fantasy, the guilt still hurt unbearably. He was murdering his childhood memory, the tiger he'd never before neglected. The tiger that's name would remain Hungry from now on…unless he changed his mind. And until the voices moved on to drive someone else insane.

He glanced around at all the other seats. Apparently he and Cody were the only ones left on the bus now.

"How long did it take you to wake me?" He questioned, looking around in shock.

"Several 'ZACK!'s," he answered quietly and slowly, "We gotta get to class,"

Agreeing, Zack scrambled up and made his way through the halls to first period, just seconds before the bell rang.

Unfortunately, that's when he realized that he'd forgotten to do his _Tuesdays With Morrie_ book report. And it was due today, right now. English _had_ to be his first hour of the day!!

"Cody!" he whispered harshly across the room.

His younger brother looked over at him, mouthing 'what?!' irritably.

"I really need help!! I didn't do the book report!"

Cody's pale face somehow seemed to whiten even more, though _why,_ Zack couldn't understand. Did he not finish it? He worked on it all night, did he not? Still, Cody quickly regained his posture with a shrug.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you!"

"Code, please!" he frantically begged.

"Zack—I didn't--"

He was silenced as Mrs. Floana cleared her throat from the front of the classroom.

"Okay, time to start class!" she bellowed, "I reminded you yesterday that I'd take up your book reports first thing today. And if you are sitting there right now saying, 'oh, yeah! Whoops!', well, I hate to break it to you, but that's just tough cookies. You will take a zero."

Zack gritted his teeth, biting his tongue until he could taste his own, fresh metallic blood. Just what he needed—another big, fat zero. He grumbled under his breath as Mrs. Floana reached his desk.

"No book report, Mr. Martin?" she asked disappointedly.

Zack shook his head, which did him no good. It increased the light-headed feeling he had, swaying the room around him oddly, the figures and colors all bleeding into one for several terrifying seconds.

Mrs. Floana seemed to notice the discomfort written on his face, observing his overall appearance. He did seem rather troubled, with dark circles under his eyes and no-energy attitude. She decided that she didn't have the heart to give him yet another bad grade, therefore offering him one last opportunity.

"Don't think I'll always do this, Mr. Martin. But just this once, I'll allow you more time. The end of this week, you understand?"  
Zack perked up. Sure, it was already Thursday, but she'd given him another day!! A day to at _least _fake a report somehow. And for that, he was grateful.

So was Cody. When Mrs. Floana approached him, he explained how he'd fallen asleep the night before, how he'd read to the end and Morrie's death upset him. How he finished only half of the report. Luckily, she trusted his story. Cody was one of her best students, after all. She gave him another day.

Relief washed over him. It paid to be known as a good student, a responsible and trustworthy person. But at the same time, Zack had begun to work on him. He worried about his mood lately. Glancing over at him, he always appeared to miles away. His mind was in a completely alternate dimension. What he thought about all day long was an absolute mystery to Cody. It _had_ been for quite some time. He used to be able to know at least somewhat the thought process of his brain, back when they were inseparable. But anymore, it was impossible. Which worried him. Especially now, when Zack looked so vulnerable and tired. He even looked sick. And he hadn't eaten that morning—the most out-of- character thing for Zack to do.

As the bell finally sounded to signal the end of second period, Cody rushed over to Zack, who's ghastly pale face told Cody that perhaps his brother was only moments away from throwing up. Or fainting.

"You okay?" he said, doubting Zack would tell him anything. But he had to try.

He received a sharp glare.

"I—I think you should see the school nurse. You don't look so well,"

"Well I think I shouldn't!" Zack returned weakly, yet still in his classic rebellious way.

He roughly gathered his books, swaying violently as he reached the door. Panicking, Cody ran over in hopes to assist him. But Zack gruffly rejected his help.

"I'm fine! _You _go see the nurse! UGH!!"

Cody felt as if a dagger had been stabbed into his heart. In a way, he wished it really had been. It might be better than this torture. Not knowing what his brother was going through. Watching him and sleeping in the same room as him, though they barely spoke. The wall between them stung Cody worse than the three wasps that had bitten him two summers ago. It seemed unbreakable and hopeless.

Not only did he worry for Zack and his far-away relationship with him, but he worried about himself as well. What was wrong with _him?!_ He'd slept every day this week after school, so unlike him. He'd neglected to finish his homework!! And altogether, he felt cruddy. Lately he didn't even want to crawl out of bed, as if his energy had already been sucked out of his body. _Before_ his day began. And as each day ticked by, the little energy he had to work with lessened and lessened. He was constantly in slow motion. Any slower, and he'd be going backwards.

A/N: It was probably a weird chapter, I know…but please, please, PLEASE review anyways!!!!!


	5. Fainting!

_A/N: Hey all!!  Yay—another update!! It's been forever! But really, everyone reading this should actually be thanking Shy of Silence, because without her private message urging me to update, you would not be reading this. It's true. I wasn't planning on returning to this story, but because of her, I decided to come back to it._

Zack decided that, before making a massive mistake, to skip lunch entirely. He was afraid of two outcomes. One being that the smell would kill him—just a tiny whiff of school-cafeteria pizza and he was certain that waves of nausea would send chunks of vomit all over the tiled floor. Though what would actually come up, he didn't know. Was there even anything currently _in_ his stomach??

And if it wasn't queasiness that greeted him, he was sure that it was possible for him to suddenly mutate into a monster, gobbling everything in sight whether it was food or not.

So in order to avoid both extremely uninviting outcomes, he instead made a trip to a place that he never thought he'd resort to. The library.

The library was down the longest hallway in school for some reason, but he still put forth the extra effort, knowing that in the end it would be worth it. Once he entered it, he slowly walked over to one of the many tables and slid into a wooden seat.

Immediately he regretted his decision.

"Whose class are you from?" the cranky librarian spat, a plump gray-haired woman with an ugly cat sweater.

"I'm in free period," Zack lied, avoiding the question.

"What _teacher_?" she demanded roughly, as if it really mattered.

He let his thoughts become words with a challenge, "_What _does it matter?"

The librarian strode over to him and crossed her arms, "Young man, I asked you a simply question, and if you cannot answer me without being snide and sarcastic, I'm afraid that I must kick you out."

Zack furrowed his eyebrows. Did Cody seriously _enjoy_ visiting this place??

"You're not even a teacher! You're just a librarian! What is wrong with me sitting here? I'm not being disruptive! I wasn't going to talk! So why would it even matter what teacher I have right now?? Geez, now I know clearly why I avoid this stupid place! And let me tell you, it's not just the books I hate!"

The librarian scoffed, "OUT!" she pointed a shaking finger towards the doors, "Get out! Get out before I call the principal down here!"

"What are you going to tell him?! I didn't do anything!" Zack argued back, but quickly realized how dumb it was in doing so.

He was dead tired—so tired, he was sure that he'd drop dead at any unexpected moment. Literally. His eyelids were so heavy, and his reactions were slow. It took every brain cell to concentrate on the words leaving the librarian's lips, and the more he argued, the more energy he released. He was seconds away from reaching zero. He could feel it.

"Fine," he whispered, defeated, "I'll leave."

With turtle-like steps he inched to the doors, heaving them open and allowing them to slam behind him. So weak…so tired…so pathetic. He needed rest. He needed nourishment. He needed….

He slid down the wall as his surrounding blurred, unable to stand upright any longer. There was no way he could resist sleep. It tugged at him harder and harder, until finally it won the battle, overtaking him completely, even though he was still in school, slumped against a wall. He may not have been in a cozy bed or a desk with a textbook pillow, but at the moment, a simple wall could not have been more of a pillow or cloud to him. He slept like a baby.

Voices far, far away, out of range and out of distance awoke Zack. They were hushed whispers, panicked ones. He wondered what they were worried about. He couldn't make out the words, just the voices. And he couldn't hear the voices well enough to label them.

He moaned and began to stir, forcing his eyes to blink open.

"Wha--?" he questioned as his surrounding focused into view.

He was lying down; looking up at the ceiling in a room he didn't recall seeing before.

"Oh, Zack!" Someone said. He recognized it now. It was his Mom.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily, pushing himself up into a sitting position with his elbows.

"Honey, your at school. In the nurses' office. You fainted in the middle of the hallway. Are you okay? Are you sick?"

Zack shivered for some reason. "I'm fine," he replied.

"Zack, you fainted. I think that indicates that you are NOT fine. I'm you Mother and I want to know what's wrong!"

"I didn't faint!" he scowled, "I fell asleep. I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all."

Carey sighed, biting her lip, "Well, come on. I've checked you out so you can rest up at home. But you need to hurry up to gain back your strength. I don't need _two_ sick boys."

Zack raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, right. Cody came home early this morning." She answered.

"Really?" Zack contemplated out-loud.

"Mmm-hmm. You didn't know?"

"No. What's wrong with him?"

"I think he's just picked up a little case of a virus or something. If he doesn't get better any time soon, I'll make a doctor's appointment for him."

For some strange reason, though he had no idea why, a feeling of…he didn't exactly know how to describe it…entered his body. Like his stomach sinking to the bottom of his chest. Why did his gut tell him there was something more to this? Something more serious? Why did a feeling wash over him that Cody didn't just have a touch of a virus? Why was he screaming to say 'Go to the doctor RIGHT NOW with him!'? And more importantly, why did he make absolutely no effort to make these thoughts clear to his own _Mother_?

A/N: Well, that wraps it up for another chapter. I know…it was short. I really will work on making these longer. Eventually…Lol


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